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In April of last year, the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary did something unusual.In April, and again in July, the dictionary’s editors released special updates, citing a need to document the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the English language.  Some of the new inclusions were based on the language of quarantine; such as social-distance, shielding and self-isolate, others based on new social experiences such as elbow-bump (a safe way of greeting people),  zoombombing (which is when strangers intrude on video conferences), doomscrolling (which happens when you skim anxiety-inducing pandemic-related stories on your smartphone) and more globally, my personal favourite,  the German term “hamsterkauf” (literal translation ‘buying hamsters) as a way of describing panic buying. Whether such terms will be in common usage after the pandemic is anyone’s guess.

Let’s face it. The art of persuasion and rhetoric has helped to build local communities, cities and empires. We can celebrate the great orators of ancient Greece and Rome for crafting the skill that has stood the test of time for over two thousand years. Many modern day politicians still look back to some of the classical greats for inspiration to stir up crowds and nations in times of both peace and war.

We at the MFL department have reinforced the importance of reading for students. Recently, each year group participated in reading projects that, despite the varied proposals, have as a common objective the academic role of students, as well as (providing) a repertoire of life, experiences, possibilities, exchanges and discoveries about themselves and the world around you.

During this term, our secondary students have been invited to take part in the first STEAM challenge of this academic year. The challenge for this term is called "Into the void - Living in Space" - our students had the opportunity to interact with MIT experts who work at the International Space Station.

Studying the arts online can be challenging but our students have been engaging in lots of creative activities.

On Monday 16th November, the World Bank (an international financial institution that aims for a world free from poverty), published a blog about the 2020 Atlas of SDGs. https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/2020-atlas-sustainable-development-goals-stories-and-insights-through-innovative-visuals

I recently found myself in conversation with an alumni of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and they expressed a vehement dislike of the programme, to the extent that I was quite taken aback. Even more so when I informed them that I was in my current position of employment due to my belief and advocacy of the International Baccalaureate education model. I was amazed at the depth of animosity felt by my acquaintance. I decided to discuss with the IBDP students at BCB about their feelings toward the course. There was, as you would expect, a spectrum of responses; some wincing with pain in reflection of late nights working on Extended Essays; others joyfully recalling Theory of Knowledge lessons that blew open their understanding of reality; and admittedly one who felt at least a strong dislike for the programme. The reason I believe the IBDP can elicit such a strong reaction is because it asks more from the students than any other programme.

This week, both online and, physically, in school, the Secondary School unpacked the issue of anxiety.

The blend of online learning and traditional brick-and-mortar instruction, hybrid, or "blended" schools, is a growing educational model.

In the recent times the role of Information and Communication can be looked at as a great example for connecting people in all aspects. This year at BCB apart from independent academic subject, ICT is also viewed as a “major tool for building knowledge societies” and, particularly, as a mechanism at the school education level that could provide a way to rethink and redesign the educational systems and processes, thus leading to quality education for all.

This week in Physical Education lessons, our students in year 8 and above are continuing to complete their fitness logs. By recording their physical activities, students are able to monitor the fitness they have done and also check their progress.

As a language teacher, I find it incredibly interesting that two people from two separate and distinct cultures can experience the same thing and it will mean both the same and different things to each of them. Take a sign that we are seeing increasing more often in the world:

Have you been procrastinating more than usual during lockdown? Are you finding it more difficult to bridge the gap between work and downtime?

A lot of people remember doing hundreds of very repetitive questions in their maths classes. Is there a point to such repetition?

In our Secondary blog, the importance of reading has been highlighted. And I could not agree more. Reading is definitely the extension of school in our lives. It enables us to contemplate how people can express themselves, in diverse manners. It is astonishing how plastic language can be!

The first STEAM challenge of the year was released last week - The coronavirus replica!